Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's marriage was hard because they were often on "opposite sides of the world", it has been claimed.

The couple announced they have separated after a ten-year union on Gwyneth’s GOOP website yesterday. The statement explained they have been working on their marriage for over a year, but now feel it is the right time to split.

Gwyneth, 41, is an Oscar-winning actress while Chris, 37, fronts band Coldplay, and it seems their separate schedules made home life difficult.

“This is obviously very sad, but it’s not like Gwyneth and Chris have not worked very hard to work out their differences," an insider told Chicago Sun-Times.

“Of course, like so many people in the entertainment business, the fact their careers often found them apart and on opposite sides of the world, made it extremely challenging to maintain a marriage like people who live in the same house all the time.”

The pair have two children together, nine-year-old Apple and Moses, seven.

Gwyneth has been open about the difficulties of marriage in the past, admitting they had gone through periods which “weren’t all rosy” in 2011.

It’s thought they went to extreme lengths to save their union, with Chris apparently hoping their move from the UK to America last year would improve things. He is said to be inconsolable that the relationship has ended.

“Chris is devastated,” a source told HollywoodLife.com. “He suggested counselling, he even suggested they move back to London but ultimately that just didn’t work out for them… This has been a long time coming.”

The couple have insisted they still love each other and will always feel like a family. They also vowed to put their children first and asked for the little ones to be left alone while they come to terms with the change.

Seemingly showing their “conscious uncoupling” won’t affect their friendship, the pair made the announcement while they were on holiday with their kids in the Bahamas. According to MailOnline, Chris has even presented Gwyneth with a picture of a bird in flight to mark the new era of their lives.

“It might sound like a line that they’re happier than they’ve ever been but the relief is massive, they can enjoy being friends again now,” a source told the publication.

“It’s like all the tensions have finally dispersed, the stress of arguing where about where to live. She missed Los Angeles and he’s an English boy through and through so that seemed like an eternal battle.

“They’re communicating again, they’re having a glass of wine together and a laugh and were actually looking forward to the holiday.”

Gwyneth and Chris met backstage at a Coldplay concert in October 2002 and married in December the following year. Copyright: Cover Media 2014